by Melinda Brasher

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Friday, December 20, 2013

The Woodlands, by
Lauren Nicolle Taylor, is a YA dystopian novel that I happened on just by
chance and really enjoyed, though the ending demands the sequel: The
Wall. See the author interview for a
story description and more information.

First, my grammatical issue: The novel contains many
sentence fragments with only the "–ing" form of the verb, as if the
clause should have been attached to the previous sentence. Example:
"I burst into the Class on the first day. Bleary-eyed, wiping my nose with my sleeve,
smearing snot across my face." Fragments
can be powerful and punchy, but these just aren't. They leave the reader waiting for the rest of
the sentence. It gets distracting after
a while.

There are also several points which the author beats into
us, over and over. They would have been
stronger if they'd been more subtle.

Otherwise, the writing is very good and draws the reader
into the story and the characters. The plot is creepy and exciting and feels fresh for a
dystopian novel. Joseph, the love
interest, is a little too perfect, but he's what we all want, so it's fun to
read. The other characters are interesting
and distinctive. I like Rosa's inner
struggles and her defiance, which is much of the time so realistically undirected. The setting and the world building are also
good.

What I LOVE about The
Woodlands is the way the society in this book has taken something good like
racial tolerance and intermixing, and turned it disturbingly on its head. The leaders encourage people not to see
"own kind" but "all kind."
Sounds good, right? They manipulate
things to get as much interracial marriage as possible. But this has turned into the same thing they
were supposedly trying to avoid.
Cultural uniqueness is squashed.
Pure races are seen as inferior.
There's still racial prejudice and oppression, just aimed differently
than it used to be. Very, very profound.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

In The Woodlands, Rosa's father plays an important role in the formation of her character, but then only mystery surrounds him. Are we going to hear more about Rosa's dad in the next book?

The mystery of Rosa’s father does
unravel slowly and in more detail over the course of the series. If you want to
know more, read The
Wall and find out! :-)

What
made you decide to set your story in Russia?

Three reasons. Firstly, my love affair
with woodland creatures; I wanted to write about wolves and bears, so I chose a
country where those animals could be found. Secondly, when I pictured the story
I saw fierce, snowy winters and tall, heavily wooded forests. Thirdly, The
Russian wilderness is extremely remote and it seemed the perfect setting for a
society to establish a new settlement far removed from any reminders of the
world before.

Dystopian
novels are very popular right now. What's your favorite one written by
another author? What's one thing that sets yours apart from the others?

I love Under The Never Sky by Veronica
Rossi. The world she creates is so vivid and brutal. Her characters are edgy
yet heartfelt. I love the romantic element: Two strong people who don’t warm to
each other immediately but are drawn to each other despite their differences.

As far as what sets mine apart, an
aspect of my book that is very important to me is most of the characters in The
Woodlands are of mixed race as one of the prime philosophies of Woodland
society is the idea of ‘All Kind’. ‘All Kind’ is the term used to describe the
perfect Woodland citizen whose racial characteristics are blended to the point
that you can’t tell their origins. For example, Rosa is half-Indian,
half-Spanish.

How
has your life experience influenced your novels?

I draw a great deal of inspiration from
my own experiences when writing. I’ve found the dystopian genre a great way to
explore hard issues in a slightly removed fashion, making it more accessible. It
was cathartic for me to write using my own experiences, one step removed, about
teenage love, first time pregnancy and young motherhood.

Can
you tell us a little about your experiences working with Clean Teen Publishing?

This is my first publishing experience but I have to
say it has been a very positive one. The advantage of Clean Teen has been the
lack of waiting. So far every decision from cover art to edits has been
extremely prompt and downright speedy! This meant I went from unpublished to
published author in one month. The other thing I would say about this indie
publisher is the approachability and personable nature of the staff. I can ask
any question and have my answer within the hour. I also had input and final
approval over the cover art which was important to me.

What
are you writing now?

I’m currently revising the third book
in The Woodlands Series, The Wounded, which will be released early next year. Expect
some more twists and turns, crazy action scenes and intriguing new characters.

I also plan to write two novellas, one
from Rash’s perspective and one from Deshi’s in the New Year.

The Woodlands Series by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

When being unique puts you in danger and speaking your mind can be punishable by death, you might find yourself fighting to survive. Rosa lives in The Woodlands, one of eight enclosed cities where the lone survivors of a devastating war have been gathered. In these circular cities everyone must abide by the law or face harsh punishment. Rosa's inability to conform and obey the rules brands her a leper and no one wants to be within two feet of her, until she meets Joseph. He's blonde, fair skinned, blue eyed and the laid back, ever-grinning, complete opposite of Rosa. She's never met anyone quite like him, and she knows that spells danger.

But differences weren't always a bad thing. People used to think being unique was one of the most treasured of traits to have. That was before the bitter race war decimated most of the planet, leaving the Russian wilderness as the only scrap of land habitable for survivors. Now, the Superiors, who ruthlessly control the concrete cities with an iron fist, are obsessed with creating a 'raceless' race. They are convinced this is the only way to avoid another war. Any anomalies must be destroyed.

The Superiors are unstoppable and can do anything they want, after all, they are considered super heroes by the general public. But not everyone see's them this way. When they continue to abuse their power by collecting young girls for use in their secret, high-tech breeding program, they have no idea that one of those girls has somehow managed to make friends even she didn't know she had. And one man will stop at nothing to save her.

THE WALL by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

(Young Adult Mature- Dystopian Romance)

Book 2 in The Woodlands Series

Joseph, wake up, wake up, wake up.

She says it over and over. It’s her plea, her prayer, her mantra. But life doesn’t stop while he’s sleeping. Rosa’s been thrown into a new world, with new rules, and a philosophy that sounds too good to be true. She’s also sure they didn’t rescue her out of the goodness of their hearts.

The Survivors must want something from them… but what?

The Wall finds Rosa eagerly entering a new life, yet struggling to keep the demons and ghosts of the past from dragging her backwards.

She’s left so many people behind and isn’t sure how to start over.

There’s freedom in the Survivors’ world, more than she’d ever dreamed of, but there’s also secrets. The darkest of which pulls Rosa headfirst into a trauma, forcing her to reevaluate her past and pushing her to make a choice that may destroy the tenuous, sewn-together family she’s built on the outside.

Will Rosa make the right choice… or will she lose everything she has fought so hard for?

Excerpt from The Woodlands:

The helicopters were stationed at the rim of Ring One, just inside the low, sandy-colored wall that surrounded the center podium. They were waiting, crouching like black angels ready to lift us from this place, this hell, into an unknown world. A Guardian in black uniform with gold trim walked to the front of the choppers and signaled for us to come forward. Another one threw the bags in the cargo hold as he read from his list. Three girls and eight boys. Joseph’s name was not on the list. I felt a flood of relief that was washed away by panic. I was barely holding myself together as it was, seeing him was liable to make me fall to pieces. But he was supposed to be here.

Paulo’s hand was on my back, pushing me towards the helicopter like I was an uncooperative apple on the conveyor belt. I was trying so hard to muster up some courage. Today I was leaving the only home I had ever known. I would never see my mother again. I felt the anxiety rising, the crushing pain of the separation I was about to suffer. Suddenly the grey- washed town didn’t look so horrible. It was home after all, I guess. I told myself it was fear that was making me feel this way. It didn’t help.My mother, who had been quietly following us around like a dazed puppy, pulled me to her in a tight embrace. She whispered, “Sorry,” in my ear before stepping back, fists clenched, showing the appropriate restraint. Some other mothers were crying and holding their children as the Guardian wrenched them away and led them onto the aircraft.

My mother’s face was my own, the way she moved mirrored my own movements and mannerisms, but that’s where the similarities ended. Although raised by this woman, I was nothing like her. For the first time, I saw things from her perspective. Getting into trouble all the time, never showing Paulo anything other than contempt. I must have been such a frustration to her.

They called my name. Paulo put his hands firmly on my shoulders, holding me in my place. His intense stare was impossible to look away from. “Don’t shame your family,” he spat at me. And with that, he made it easy to leave. I could feel the blades starting to move, my hair whipping around my face. I stripped away the fear and anxiety, leaving a girl that was fierce, empowered by his hatred.

“Don’t worry, Paulo, I’ll stir it up, make a little noise!” I shouted through the wind. The Guardian that let me sign up was watching me, probably regretting his decision. My mother was standing rigidly, her handmade skirt billowing as the air churned around her, her hand outstretched, pleading. I could see it in her eyes—please Rosa, don’t cause more trouble. She couldn’t stop me, no one ever could. Paulo was already walking away, his back to me. Behind my mother stood a man, one blue eye, one brown, smiling. He lifted his hand to wave. I raised my hand, confused. The chopper lurched awkwardly and I was knocked back into the cargo hold.

“Sit down!” the Guardian snapped at me. I quickly found a spot and strapped myself in. The others were staring at me, eyes wide. The Guardian tapped the pilot on the shoulder. “Wait, there’s one more.”

He bounded in, bag in hand, and casually threw it on the pile and scanned the seats. There was plenty of room on the other side but he squeezed his bulky form between me and the boy I was sitting next to.

Suddenly we were in the air. When the Guardian wasn’t looking, Joseph slipped his hand over mine. Warmth calmed the agitation I felt, like pouring gold over lead, glowing. We stayed that way the entire ride. Eyes forward. Impossibly trying to anticipate what may lie ahead.

About Lauren Nicolle Taylor

Lauren Nicolle Taylor is a 33-year-old mother living in the tiny, lush town of Bridgewater on the other side of the world in Australia. She married her high school sweetheart and has three very boisterous and individual children. She earned a Bachelors degree in Health Sciences with Honours in Obstetrics and Gynecology and majored in Psychology while minoring in Contemporary Australian Writing.

After a disastrous attempt to build her dream house that left her family homeless, She found herself inexplicably drawn to the computer. She started writing, not really knowing where it may lead but ended up, eight weeks later, with the rough draft of The Woodlands.

In 2013, Lauren Nicolle Taylor accepted a publishing contract with Clean Teen Publishing. Her first published novel, The Woodlands, was released on August 30, 2013. Currently, Lauren has finished her manuscript for the second book in the series titled: The Wall, as well as partially completed the third book in the series which at this time is unnamed.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Hi all! Here's a guest post from Jillian Kleine Der Löwe, who writes comedic fantasy. Her book, Wicked, is free until December 19th on Amazon, so head on over there!

On Writing Comedy

by Jillian Kleine Der Löwe

I know that I can’t
get through reading a book if there’s
no comic relief whatsoever. Furthermore, I really can’t
get through a book if it doesn’t
have a decent blend between offbeat and quirky humor, sarcasm, satire and wit.
Writing comedy comes just as naturally to me as breathing and I think that many
authors can add another dimension into their writing if they too embrace comedy
in all of its glory. Laughter truly is the best medicine…
Better even than an apple a day. A rapier-like wit can leave you giggling on
the floor just as it can also implode the best laid plans of mice (and perhaps
even some men too).

If you’ve never written
comedy before, you don’t need to go far for
inspiration! Just watch some primetime television and you’ll be bombarded by the puns of
the day on shows like Modern Family or 30 Rock. Why not turn to current events?
The Daily Show and Colbert Report have got you covered! What about a blast from
the past? Nothing beats a good ol’
Mel Brooks film… Or an Airplane! That’s comedy at its finest.

The best part is that you can add comedy into any genre!
RomZomCom… Zombie gets girl.
Zombie loves girl. Zombie loses girl. Zombie gets girl back again. Try adding
comedy into a genre where it has never encroached before…
And lo and behold… You have the newest “IT”
thing… Comedy + Whatever Genre You
Choose ( Especially If It’s
Never Been Done Before ) = One Pie Of Awesomesauce Covered With Whipped Cream,
Chocolate Ganache And Sprinkles!

Jillian Kleine Der Löwe originally dreamt of being a time traveler... Either that or the Supreme Empress of the whole entire bloody Universe. Since, those jobs are not yet available until she defies the laws of physics... She's settled with being an author…

Saturday, December 14, 2013

The set-up of this book
intrigued me:Strange undersea
artifacts, unexplained maritime phenomena, scientists and ship captains as main
characters.The book continued to be
very imaginative, but it turned more Tolkienesque and lost a bit of its beginning uniqueness.

I found myself very
distracted by the numerous comma splices, especially the ones where the
punctuation made it hard to interpret. Example: "The dwarves and Irina were already
running at full pelt, feeling useless he followed as fast as he
could." At first I thought
"feeling useless" modified Irina and the dwarves running, so I had to
stop and read it again. This structure tripped
me up over and over.

Another confusion arose from the
lack of commas before the names of people addressed directly. "We must leave Dirck" is entirely
different than "We must leave, Dirck." Or, in the more famous example:

Other than the comma issues,
the work was well edited and nearly free of errors, with some very nicely
written passages.

I really cared about Gemma,
Dirck, Aarte, and Irina, whose personalities and desires were very clear to me,
and whose happiness I wanted to see, but some of the many other characters
blurred together.

I enjoyed the creative descriptions
and explanations of vampires and rangers.

The ending was very well
structured and satisfying. If you like action
scenes and epic fantasy, try this book.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

When most of the colonists die in space on the long trip to New Eden, the remaining few carry on--some more enthusiastically than others. But by-the-book optimism may not solve every problem they face in their new home.

If you like "Sand and Fire," watch for other connected stories about the twenty-five colonists on New Eden.

"Sand and Fire" is scheduled to appear in Volume IV, the Jan 2014 speculative fiction issue..

If you want to check it out or pre-order (the e-book version is only $1.50 if you order now), go to Spark Anthology.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

I'm doing a mini blog tour next week for Far-Knowing, my YA fantasy. Check out these links on the appropriate
dates (or any time afterwards) to see my guest posts, author interviews, and book excerpts,
and to support the generous bloggers who are hosting stops.

After the Chaos Mage traps their mentor within a deadly
spell, two apprentice mages set off to find and defeat this menace to the
kingdom. Buthow can these
inexperienced young women possibly track down and battle the sort of man who
destroys villages with summoned wind or fire just for fun? They've learned no
aggressive magic and never tested themselves against a real enemy.

Kallinesha, still an apprentice after seven years, struggles
against her lack of raw magical power, compensating instead with discipline and
study. Daughter of the High Commander, driven relentlessly by the duty in her
blood, she knowsthey
can defeat the Chaos Mage and safeguard the kingdom.

Ista, a commoner and daughter of acity
baker, harbors no such delusions. But after only three years of study, her
power burns much brighter than Kallinesha's. The task before them terrifies
her, but she loves her mentor too much to let her waste away under the Chaos
Mage's spell. Not if there's the slimmest chance of saving her.

The two have never been able to get along while studying
magic. Will they be able to work together now when so much is at stake?

Friday, December 6, 2013

Slated is a YA
dystopian novel, taking place in England.
I love the premise. Juvenile
delinquents have their memories erased so that they can become good citizens
again. Kyla, the main character, thus
doesn't remember who she is or what she did or how things work in this world that's
new to her. Lots of creepiness
ensues.

Quibbles: It could
have been a bit more subtle, and no one ever uses contractions in dialogue,
which makes it sometime sound stilted.
The ending left me a little unsatisfied, without enough mysteries answered,
and with a big cliffhanger. However, since it's the first of a series, the cliffhanger works if you can wait for the next installment.

Point of honor: I
loved watching Kyla re-discover things about the world and learn to fool her
mood monitor. The relationships within
her new family are intriguing.. The
story brims with suspense without resorting to lots of violence—something
that's getting more and more rare in our car-chase-bloody-murder world. And, as I said, the premise rocks. I'm still thinking about it, and I read it months
ago.

About Me

I am first and foremost a writer. My true love is fiction, but I also write articles and personal essays, mostly based on my number two passion: travel. In order to support my travel habits, I have taught English as a Second Language in places like Mexico, Poland, the Czech Republic, and exotic Arizona.

Nanowrimo is an international organization that motivates people to write an entire novel (rough draft) in one month. Get 50,000 words down, and you "win." If deadlines help you write, participate this November. nanowrimo.org